It's been a long road back to the mound for Danly

Two weeks ago this space was filled with bad news regarding area high school baseball players who recently underwent season-ending Tommy John elbow surgery.

Now for some good news.

Many of you remember Scott Danly, a 2006 graduate of Wheaton Warrenville South who as a senior led the Tigers' football team to the Class 8A semifinals and went 7-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 67 strikeouts for the baseball team the following spring.

Danly's now a junior pitcher on Carthage College's baseball team following a painful, yearlong journey back from Tommy John surgery. After three years off the mound, Danly's finally throwing his first pitches for the Red Men this spring.

"Every time I play I think of what I went through," he said, "and I appreciate everything I now have."

Danly actually went to Carthage to play football.

In fact he enjoyed a successful freshman season in which he started at quarterback the last three games. At the same time Danly decided to also play baseball.

That winter the stress on his right throwing arm became too much. On Feb. 11, a day before his birthday, Danly spent the early part of the day working out with his receivers before heading to baseball practice to throw in the cage.

After one of his pitches, something didn't feel right in his elbow. Instead of preparing to pitch on an upcoming trip to Florida, Danly received differing opinions from doctors before abandoning his freshman baseball season and shutting down his arm for four months. He also decided to stop playing football.

When even that didn't help, Danly flew to Alabama to consult with renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. An MRI disclosed the elbow injury, and Danly underwent Tommy John surgery the next morning.

"You know your own body, and I had a feeling when I went down there that I'd be having surgery," Danly said.

Then came the hard part.

Danly's arm was locked in a sling for three weeks. Range of motion exercises were followed by simulated throwing motions.

Adhering to every precise step from a rehabilitation manual, Danly didn't pick up a baseball for six months. And when he finally did, his throwing consisted of soft toss from 20 feet away.

As another baseball season drifted away - one in which Carthage was ranked second in the nation in Division III - Danly spent most of his time in physical therapy and building arm strength.

"Some days it was hard, but I had a real strong mindset," he said. "I always told myself I was going to come back."

On March 15, he did.

"Usually I don't get nervous," he said. "But I definitely had to get the nerves out of the way that day."

Danly pitched 6 innings of 6-hit ball in Florida to earn a win against Lakeland, the first of his 4 wins against no losses this season. After earning a victory over North Central College on Tuesday, his ERA stood at 2.48 for a Carthage team ranked 13th in the nation in the latest D3baseball.com Division III national poll.

A 93 mph fastball before the surgery is already back up to 91. A 160-pound high school senior is now 25 pounds stronger.

And three years of waiting has created a grateful, much wiser baseball player.

"If I were to talk to someone going through what I did, I'd just say always keep your head high," Danly said. "It's definitely a long, tough road. And there are going to be great days and miserable days along the way.

"But as long as you have the drive, you'll get through it."

kschmit@dailyherald.com